RFR_Elder Abuse Hotline Answering and Processing Services.docx

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ELDER AFFAIRS

ONE ASHBURTON PLACE, 5TH FLOOR

BOSTON, MA 20108

Request for Response (RFR)

Document Title: Elder Abuse Hotline Answering and Processing Services

COMMBUYS Bid#: BD-17-1040-1040C-1040L-12489

March 7, 2017

Please Note: This is a single document associated with a complete Bid (also referred to as Solicitation) that can be found on COMMBUYS (www.COMMBUYS.com). All Bidders are responsible for reviewing and adhering to all information, forms and requirements for the entire Bid, which are all incorporated into the Bid. Bidders may also contact the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us or the COMMBUYS Helpline at 1-888-MA-STATE. The Helpline is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal, state and Suffolk county holidays.

Boston, MA 02108

Contents

Definitions. When used in this RFR, unless the context or Massachusetts law otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

· Bidder: An individual or organization proposing to enter into a Contract to provide a Commodity or Service, or both, to or for a Department or the State.

· Corrective Action Plan: A written plan submitted to EOEA by a Contractor in response to a request by EOEA for the purpose of resolving identified contractual deficiencies. The Corrective Action Plan will include, but is not limited to, specific measurable actions that the Contractor will take to alleviate the deficiencies.

· Contract: A legally enforceable agreement between a Contractor and a Department. Should a Contract result from the release of this RFR, it shall consist of the RFR terms, a copy of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions, a Standard Contract Form, any additional terms and conditions as agreed upon by the parties, and other forms or documentation as determined by EOEA.

· Contractor: An individual or organization which enters into a Contract with a Department or the State to provide Commodities or Services, or both.

· Elder: An individual who is 60 years of age or older.

· Executive Office for Administration and Finance (ANF): The Executive Office established by M.G.L. c. 7.

· Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA): The Executive Office established by M.G.L. c. 19A.

· Limited User Contract: A Contract that allows a Department to use another Department’s competitive procurement covering commodities and services. Such contracts are only allowed for goods and/or services not available on statewide contracts, and if the RFR and resulting contract authorizes use of the contract.

· Non-Business Hours: The following time periods:

· Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the following day;

· Friday from 5:00 p.m. through Monday at 9:00 a.m.;

· All state and federal holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

· Office of the Comptroller (CTR): The Department established pursuant to M.G.L. c. 7A.

· Operational Services Division (OSD): The Department within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance established pursuant to M.G.L. c. 7, § 4A to regulate and oversee the Procurement of Commodities or Services in the State. OSD includes the Division of Purchased Services established by St. 1993, c. 110, § 274, as amended.

· Protective Services (PS): The program EOEA is required to administer under M.G.L ch. 19A Section 16.

· Request for Response (RFR): The mechanism used to communicate Procurement specifications and to request Responses or interest from potential Bidders. An RFR may also be referred to as a "solicitation".

· Response: A Response from a Bidder to a Request for Response (RFR) under a competitive Procurement. A Response shall include submissions commonly referred to as “bids,” “quotes” or “proposals.”

· Strategic Sourcing Team (SST): Committee of EOEA staff formed to evaluate and analyze the bid submissions for completeness, conformance with the requirements of the RFR.

RFR Introduction and General Description Procurement Scope and Description The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) is soliciting Bidders for the acquisition of Call Answering and Processing Services to receive and process calls for the EOEA Protective Services Elder Abuse Hotline (Hotline). The provision of Call Answering and Processing Services includes answering all incoming calls by a live operator and the intake of reports using a script provided by EOEA. Information provided by callers is to be entered into an online system operated by EOEA. In certain emergency situations operators will contact a designated EOEA Protective Services on-call worker. Bidders must respond to two separate options, as described in Sections 3.2 and 3.3: 1) the provision of hotline services for Non-Business Hours and 2) the provision of hotline services on a 24 hour, seven day a week, 365 day a year basis.

Background Information Under Massachusetts law, elder abuse includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, caretaker neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation. EOEA is required by M.G.L. c. 19A, §§14-26 and 651 CMR 5.00 to administer a statewide system of elder Protective Services (PS) which includes receiving and investigating allegations of elder abuse. To fulfill this responsibility, EOEA contracts and designates 20 not-for-profit PS Agencies located throughout the Commonwealth. A critical component of the PS system is the intake of elder abuse reports from the public. In state fiscal year 2017, it is anticipated that the PS program will receive over 30,000 reports of elder abuse. State law requires that the PS program take elder abuse reports 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Currently, PS operates a distributed system in which these reports are taken over the phone by intake staff at each PS Agency for its designated geographic region during business hours. Reports are taken by a single statewide hotline during Non-Business Hours. Once the reports are taken over the phone the information is entered into an online database operated by EOEA from which the cases are distributed to an investigator in one of the 20 PS agencies.

The current contract for the Non-Business Hours hotline services will expire on June 30th 2017. In addition to reviewing bids for Non-Business Hours coverage, EOEA will also review bids for a centralized model (see Section 3.3) in which all reports would be received by a single vendor on a 24 hour a day basis. This centralized intake model is designed to reduce confusion among individuals reporting abuse and to ensure provision of consistent and uniform service regardless of location. This would replace the current distributed intake model in which 21 independent vendors (20 PS Agencies plus the overnight/weekend/holiday hotline) complete intakes for elder abuse reports. If EOEA selects a Bid it will be the one that provides the best protection for vulnerable elders and the best value to the Commonwealth.

Applicable Procurement Law MGL c. 7, § 22, § 22N; c. 30, § 51, § 52; 801 CMR 21.00; 808 CMR 1.00 (Human and Social Services); MGL. c. 19A et seq.

Number of Awards The target maximum number of Contractors is one. This is a target number; EOEA may award more or fewer Contracts if it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to do so.

Adding Contractors after initial Contract award If, over the life of the Contract, EOEA determines that additional Contractors should be added, these may first be drawn from qualified companies that responded to this Bid but were not awarded contracts. If necessary to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth, the Bid may be reopened to obtain additional Quotes.

Eligible Entities This contract will be a Limited User Contract, meaning any Contracts resulting from this Bid will be open for use by EOEA and the following entities:

· Executive Office of Health and Human Services

· Department of Children and Families

· Department of Developmental Services

· Department of Public Health

· Department of Mental Health

· Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

· Department of Veterans Services

· Disabled Persons Protection Commission EOEA reserves the right to add or remove additional named authorized users during the contract term.

Acquisition Method Fee for Service Contract Duration The expected duration of this contract is as follows:

Initial Duration

2 years (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2019)

Total Maximum Contract Duration

5 years

Estimated Value of the Contract The estimated value of the contract is dependent on whether EOEA selects a bid for 24 hour coverage or a bid for only Non-Business Hours coverage. The estimated value of the contract, for a five year contract period, for 24 hour coverage is 10-12 million dollars. The estimated value of the contract only for Non-Business Hours coverage is 2.0-2.5 million for a five year contract period.

The Commonwealth makes no guarantee that any commodities or services will be purchased from any Contract resulting from this Bid. Any estimates or past procurement volumes referenced in this Bid are included only for the convenience of Bidders, and are not to be relied upon as any indication of future purchase levels. EOEA will select a Contractor based on its ability to provide the best value to the Commonwealth in terms of the provision of required services, overall economic value, effective and efficient performance, and flexibility.

Estimated Procurement Calendar

Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as displayed on the COMMBUYS system clock displayed to Bidders after logging in. If there is a conflict between the dates in this Procurement Calendar and dates in the Bid’s Header, the dates in the Bid’s Header on COMMBUYS shall prevail. Bidders are responsible for checking the Bid record, including Bid Q&A, on COMMBUYS for Procurement Calendar updates.

Written questions via the Bid Q&A on COMMBUYS The “Bid Q&A” provides the opportunity for Bidders to ask written questions and receive written answers from EOEA regarding this Bid. All Bidders’ questions must be submitted through the Bid Q&A found on COMMBUYS (see below for instructions). Questions may be asked only prior to the Deadline for Submission of Questions stated in the Estimated Procurement Calendar. The issuing department reserves the right not to respond to questions submitted after this date. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to verify receipt of questions.

Please note that any questions submitted to EOEA using any other medium (including those that are sent by mail, fax, email or voicemail, etc.) will not be answered. To reduce the number of redundant or duplicate questions, Bidders are asked to review all questions previously submitted to determine whether the Bidder’s question has already been posted.

Bidders are responsible for entering content suitable for public viewing, since all of the questions are accessible to the public. Bidders must not include any information that could be considered personal, secure, sensitive, inflammatory, incorrect, collusory, or otherwise objectionable, including information about the Bidder’s company or other companies. EOEA reserves the right to edit or delete any submitted questions that raise any of these issues or that are not in the best interest of the Commonwealth or this Bid.

All answers are final when posted. Any subsequent revisions to previously provided answers will be dated.

It is the responsibility of the prospective Bidder and awarded Contractor to maintain an active registration in COMMBUYS and to keep current the email address of the Bidder’s contact person and prospective contract manager, if awarded a contract, and to monitor that email inbox for communications from the Purchasing Department, including requests for clarification. The Purchasing Department and the Commonwealth assume no responsibility if a prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s designated email address is not current, or if technical problems, including those with the prospective Bidder’s/awarded Contractor’s computer, network or internet service provider (ISP) cause email communications sent to/from the prospective Bidder/Awarded contractor and the Purchasing Department to be lost or rejected by any means including email or spam filtering.

Locating Bid Q&A Log into COMMBUYS, locate the Bid, acknowledge receipt of the Bid, and scroll down to the bottom of the Bid Header page. The “Bid Q&A” button allows Bidders access to the Bid Q&A page.

Amendment Deadline EOEA reserves the right to make amendments to the Bid after initial publication. It is each Bidder’s responsibility to check COMMBUYS for any amendments, addenda or modifications to this Bid, and any Bid Q&A records related to this Bid. EOEA and the Commonwealth accepts no responsibility and will provide no accommodation to Bidders who submit a Quote based on an out-of-date Bid or on information received from a source other than COMMBUYS.

Bidders’ Conference The Bidders’ Conference is the conference conducted by EOEA for the purpose of informing prospective Bidders about general Bid information and answering questions from prospective Bidders. Attendance is optional. The Bidder’s Conference will be held by phone on March 13, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. Interested Bidders should call 866-656-6580 and enter the 9593452 when prompted for a PIN.

Oral Presentation Selected Bidders who are asked to participate in Oral Presentations will be expected to prioritize this in their schedules. EOEA will make every effort to find a mutually convenient time for the Bidder and EOEA. However, failure to appear at the scheduled time of the presentation may result in disqualification, reduction of points or other action that EOEA deems appropriate.

Site Visit EOEA reserves the right to request a site visit after the deadline to submit quotes/bids has closed. EOEA will make every effort to find a mutually convenient time for the Bidder and EOEA to complete the site visit. Bidders are not required to accommodate EOEA’s request for site visit, but a failure to accommodate such a request may result in disqualification, reduction of points or other action that EOEA deems appropriate.

Specifications Overview All Bidders must have experience providing call answering and processing services. Bidders must respond to both Sections 3.2 and 3.3. The specifications in each section are separate and unique. Section 3.2 includes the specifications for the provision of hotline services for Non-Business Hours while Section 3.3 includes specifications for a 24 hour, seven days a week, 365 days a year service. Bidders are required to provide separate price quotes for services under Sections 3.2 and 3.3 by completing both required budget sheets listed in attached response checklist. If EOEA selects a bidder, it will be for the provision of services under Sections 3.2 or 3.3, but not both sections. Bidders should clearly state any differences in the manner in which services are provided, if any, and overall cost, based on the specifications in Sections 3.2 and 3.3.

Non-Business Hours Operations A. Hours of Operations

1. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. the following day;

2. Friday from 5:00 p.m. through Monday at 9:00 a.m.;

3. All state and federal holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.;

4. Continuous operations during all emergencies, including, but not limited to, weather and public safety emergencies.

B. Geographic Coverage:

The bidder must provide required services for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive and process calls from individuals outside of the Commonwealth calling with regard to an elder located in Massachusetts. Toll free numbers must be able to accept calls from outside of Massachusetts.

C. Technical Capabilities:

1. Receive and process voice and TTY Calls;

2. Obtain and utilize the current EOEA PS phone number (1 (800) 922-2275);

3. Maintain continuous operations in the event of a power or systems outage;

4. Maintain systems sufficient to process call volumes (Section 3.2(D) provides a basis for call volume projections, but systems will need to be based on actual call volumes);

5. Monitor calls for quality assurance purposes and provide EOEA access to the monitoring mechanism;

6. Ability to record all calls and retrieve digitally recorded calls and provide to EOEA on request;

7. Transfer a call to another party without ending the call (i.e., a “warm transfer”); and,

8. Capability to continuously access, including making any necessary upgrades to maintain such access over the length of any Contract, and utilize the EOEA PS online database and enter information directly into the system.

D. Volume and Staffing

1. Ensure staff is available to meet all specifications in Section 3.2 in accordance with call volumes. During Fiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016) approximately 4,780 intake reports were received during the overnight hours (5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m.) and during daytime hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) on weekend days and holidays. The table below displays 11 months of actual data for total intakes received listed separately for: (1) night calls, and (2) weekend and holiday day calls.

Attachment A includes hourly intake volume for the same 11 month period (August 2015-June 2016). Based on previous records and demographic trends, intake volumes are likely to increase year-to-year and the bidder must ensure that staffing is adjusted accordingly. Additionally, actual call volumes may be slightly higher than indicated in the intake volume records; the figures above represent only calls that were determined to require a complete PS intake (meaning the script was completed and data entered into the online system) and do not include wrong numbers, warm transfers, or other calls.

2. Provide staff that can effectively follow a computer assisted script and accurately enter data into an online system for successful and consistent call processing (Attachment B is a paper copy of the computer script that must be completed);

3. Ensure coverage for all possible emergencies, including but not limited to, staffing vacancies, vacations, sick days, weather, and public safety;

4. Utilize an employee hiring process that ensures competent and appropriate staff;

5. Provide an organizational chart to EOEA and update annually;

6. Submit and annually update resumes for Managers, Supervisors, and Key Personnel assigned to this project (EOEA reserves the right to review such hires);

7. All staff members are required to complete EOEA intake training.

E. Operations

1. A minimum service level of 80/30 is required for telephone calls received during operating hours. An 80/30 service level is defined as 80% of calls received will reach a live Customer Service Representative in an average of 30 seconds or less;

2. No caller should ever receive a busy signal or be directed to voicemail;

3. Provide access for the deaf and hearing impaired via a toll-free phone number and industry standard ADA supportive technology and maintain a Mass Relay response time of less than ten seconds. If the provider is unable to establish contact with the caller on the initial call, the provider must make two follow-up calls;

4. Receive and process calls where the caller is non-English speaking or has limited English proficiency;

5. Demonstrate a system to prioritize incoming calls based on urgency based on EOEA trainings;

6. Effectively complete the intake of elder abuse reports using a script provided by EOEA. To complete an intake is to gather the information from a caller and enter the data into EOEA’s online system. (Attachment B is a paper copy of the computer script that must be completed);

7. Ability to implement operational changes based on changes to EOEA’s script as needed and within 48 hours for routine changes;

8. Identify cases not within the jurisdiction of EOEA’s PS Program and refer the caller to other specified government agencies or programs via a warm transfer in accordance with EOEA policy;

9. Identify emergency and rapid situations and contact appropriate PS personnel in accordance with EOEA policy provided during training;

10. Protect client confidentiality in accordance with all applicable Massachusetts General Laws and Federal Laws, including the destruction of all recorded calls within the timeframes specified in this section;

11. Comply with 101 CMR 19.00;

12. Compliance with applicable sections of 651 CMR 5.00.

F. Quality Assurance

1. Generate statistics for tracking call volumes, average speed of answer, abandoned calls, average call handling time and incoming call patterns;

2. Demonstrate a system of reviewing a subset of recorded calls quarterly at a minimum and more frequently as needed for quality issues and a system of implementing program improvements based on such reviews and other measures;

3. Allow representatives of EOEA to audit and listen to calls from EOEA offices;

4. Perform routine quality assurance on all systems and hardware to avoid preventable interruptions to the telephone system.

G. Program Review:

1. Demonstrate a program review procedure and standards for ensuring the overall quality of services;

2. Provide all program review results to EOEA;

3. Comply with all requests for Corrective Action Plans.

H. Pricing and Compensation Structure:

The successful Bidder must agree that no other state or public entity customer within the United States of similar size and similar terms and conditions shall receive a lower price for the same commodity and service during the contract period, unless this same lower price is immediately effective for the Commonwealth. If the Commonwealth believes that it is not receiving this lower price as required by this language, the successful Bidder must agree to provide current or historical pricing offered or negotiated with other state or public entities at any time during the contract period in the absence of proprietary information being part of such contracts.

24 hour, 7 Days a Week, 365 Days a Year Operations A. Hours of Operations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days/year including state and federal holidays and continuous operations during all emergencies, including, but not limited to, weather and public safety emergencies.

B. Geographic Coverage:

The bidder must provide required services for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts and receive and process calls from individuals outside of the Commonwealth calling with regard to an elder located in Massachusetts. Toll free numbers must be able to accept calls from outside of Massachusetts.

C. Technical Capabilities:

1. Receive and process voice and TTY Calls;

2. Obtain and utilize the current EOEA PS phone number (1 (800) 922-2275);

3. Maintain continuous operations in the event of a power or systems outage;

4. Maintain systems sufficient to process call volumes (Section 3.3D) provides a basis for call volume projections, but systems will need to be based on actual call volumes);

5. Monitor calls for quality assurance purposes and provide EOEA access to the monitoring mechanism;

6. Ability to record all calls and retrieve digitally recorded calls and provide to EOEA on request;

7. Transfer a call to another party without ending the call (i.e., a “warm transfer”); and,

8. Capability to continuously access, including making any necessary upgrades to maintain such access over the length of any Contract, and utilize the EOEA PS online database and enter information directly into the system.

D. Volume and Staffing

1. Ensure staff is available to meet all specifications in Section 3.3 in accordance with call volumes. During Fiscal Year 2016 (July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016) a total of 27,761 intake reports were received, this data includes all days, nights, weekends, and holidays. On a monthly basis the average number of intake calls equals 2,314. The table below displays 11 months of actual intake data separated by: (1) weekday daytime calls, (2) overnight calls and (3) weekend and holiday day calls.

Attachment A includes hourly intake volume for the same 11 month period (August 2015-June 2016). Based on previous records and demographic trends, intake volumes are likely to increase year-to-year and the bidder must ensure that staffing is adjusted accordingly. Additionally, actual call volumes may be slightly higher than indicated in the intake volume records; the figures above represent only calls that were determined to require a complete PS intake (meaning the script was completed and data entered into the online system) and do not include wrong numbers, warm transfers, or other calls.

2. Provide staff that can effectively follow a computer assisted script and accurately enter data into an online system for successful and consistent call processing (Attachment B is a paper copy of the computer script that must be completed);

3. Ensure coverage for all possible emergencies, including but not limited to, staffing vacancies, vacations, sick days, weather, and public safety;

4. Utilize an employee hiring process that ensures competent and appropriate staff;

5. Provide an organizational chart to EOEA and update annually;

6. Submit and annually update resumes for Managers, Supervisors, and Key Personnel assigned to this project (EOEA reserves the right to review such hires);

7. All staff members are required to complete EOEA intake training.

E. Operations

1. A minimum service level of 80/30 is required for telephone calls received during operating hours. An 80/30 service level is defined as 80% of calls received will reach a live Customer Service Representative in an average of 30 seconds or less;

2. No caller should ever receive a busy signal or be directed to voicemail;

3. Provide access for the deaf and hearing impaired via a toll-free phone number and industry standard ADA supportive technology and maintain a Mass Relay response time of less than ten seconds. If the provider is unable to establish contact with the caller on the initial call, the provider must make two follow-up calls;

4. Receive and process calls where the caller is non-English speaking or has limited English proficiency;

5. Demonstrate a system to prioritize incoming calls based on urgency based on EOEA trainings;

6. Effectively complete the intake of elder abuse reports using a script provided by EOEA. To complete an intake is to gather the information from a caller and enter the data into EOEA’s online system. (Attachment B is a paper copy of the computer script that must be completed);

7. Ability to implement operational changes based on changes to EOEA’s script as needed and within 48 hours for routine changes;

8. Identify cases not within the jurisdiction of EOEA’s PS Program and refer the caller to other specified government agencies or programs via a warm transfer in accordance with EOEA policy;

9. Identify emergency and rapid situations and contact appropriate PS personnel in accordance with EOEA policy provided during training;

10. Protect client confidentiality in accordance with all applicable Massachusetts General Laws and Federal Laws, including the destruction of all recorded calls within the timeframes specified in this section;

11. Comply with 101 CMR 19.00;

12. Compliance with applicable sections of 651 CMR 5.00.

F. Quality Assurance

1. Generate statistics for tracking call volumes, average speed of answer, abandoned calls, average call handling time and incoming call patterns;

2. Demonstrate a system of reviewing a subset of recorded calls quarterly at a minimum and more frequently as needed for quality issues and a system of implementing program improvements based on such reviews and other measures;

3. Allow representatives of EOEA to audit and listen to calls from EOEA offices;

4. Perform routine quality assurance on all systems and hardware to avoid preventable interruptions to the telephone system.

G. Program Review:

1. Demonstrate a program review procedure and standards for ensuring the overall quality of services;

2. Provide all program review results to EOEA;

3. Comply with all requests for Corrective Action Plans.

H. Pricing and Compensation Structure:

The successful Bidder must agree that no other state or public entity customer within the United States of similar size and similar terms and conditions shall receive a lower price for the same commodity and service during the contract period, unless this same lower price is immediately effective for the Commonwealth. If the Commonwealth believes that it is not receiving this lower price as required by this language, the successful Bidder must agree to provide current or historical pricing offered or negotiated with other state or public entities at any time during the contract period in the absence of proprietary information being part of such contracts.

Preferred Qualifications EOEA prefers that bidders have the following qualifications:

A. Experience operating a hotline or emergency call answering services;

B. Ability to consistently exceed the 80/30 minimum service level described in section 3.2(E)(1) and 3.3(E)(1);

C. Prior service to a Commonwealth of Massachusetts public sector agency;

D. Services provided at a location within Massachusetts;

E. Services provided within a single facility location.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

Failure to perform contractual obligations Where EOEA identifies, in its sole judgement, that the Contractor is deficient in its performance of any of its obligations under the Contract, EOEA may take reasonable actions including, but not limited to:

A. Requiring the Contractor to develop and implement a Corrective Action Plan, which should be previously discussed with and approved by EOEA, to correct the deficiency or deficiencies;

B. Withholding or reducing Contract funding or imposing administrative fines and penalties; and/or C. Terminating the Contract.

Reports:

Contractors shall submit the following reports to EOEA:

A. Monthly statistical information gathered in sections 3.2(F)(1) or 3.3(F)(1) in a format provided by EOEA;

B. Yearly performance measure information in a format developed by EOEA;

C. A quarterly summary of the findings and responses to the quality reviews required in section 3.2(F)(2) or 3.3(F)(2);

D. Annual Audited Financial Statements prepared in accordance with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Independent Auditor's Report;

E. Annual Auditors’ Management letter.

Alternatives Contractors may propose alternatives for equivalent, better or more cost effective performance than specified under the Contractor’s original Quote at any time during the life of the Contract. EOEA must approve such alternatives before the Contractor may implement any proposed alternatives.

Security and Confidentiality The Contractor shall comply fully with all security procedures of the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Agencies in performance of the Contract. The Contractor shall not divulge to third parties any confidential information obtained by the Contractor or its agents, distributors, resellers, subcontractors, officers or employees in the course of performing Contract work, including, but not limited to, security procedures, business operations information, personally identifiable information, or commercial proprietary information in the possession of the Commonwealth Agency.

Executive Order 515, Establishing an Environmental Purchasing Policy Products and services purchased by state agencies must be in compliance with Executive Order 515, issued October 27, 2009. Under this Executive Order, Executive Departments are required to reduce their impact on the environment and enhance public health by procuring environmentally preferable products and services (EPPs) whenever such products and services perform to satisfactory standards and represent best value, consistent with 801 CMR 21.00. In line with this directive, all contracts, whether departmental or statewide, must comply with the specifications and guidelines established by OSD and the EPP Program. EPPs are considered to be products and services that help to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, protect public health and the environment, and promote the use of clean technologies, recycled materials, and less toxic products. Questions concerning the EO or the appropriate specifications may be directed to OSD’s EPP Procurement Program, www.mass.gov/epp. See http://www.mass.gov/Agov3/docs/Executive%20Orders/executive_order_515.pdf.

Audit During the term of this Agreement and for a period of six years thereafter, EOEA, its auditors, the Operational Services Division, the Office of the Inspector General or other authorized representatives shall be afforded access at reasonable times to Contractor's accounting records, including sales information on any system, reports or files, in order to audit all records relating to goods sold or services performed pursuant to this Agreement. If such an audit indicates that Contractor has materially overcharged EOEA, then the Contractor shall remit the overcharged amount and be responsible for payment of any costs associated with the audit.

Evaluation Mandatory requirements All of the specifications listed under Section 3 are mandatory. A Bidder must provide evidence that they are capable of meeting all mandatory specifications in order for their Bid to be fully evaluated. Bidders found to be incapable of meeting all of the specifications included in Section 3 may be disqualified. In addition, certain mandatory specifications have desirable components to them that may be evaluated by EOEA. EOEA reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine if non-compliance with a Mandatory Specification is insignificant or can be easily corrected. In such cases, EOEA may: seek clarification; allow Bidder to make minor corrections; apply appropriate penalties in the evaluation; or apply a combination of all three remedies.

Preferred requirements The qualifications under Section 4 are preferred, but not mandatory and will be reviewed according to the evaluation criteria listed in Section 7.4.

Alternatives A Quote that fails to meet any material terms or conditions of the Bid, including the submission of required attachments, may lose points or be deemed unresponsive and therefore be disqualified. In addition to a bid that is responsive to required specifications under Section7.1, Bidders may also submit Quotes proposing alternatives which provide equivalent, better or more cost effective performance than achievable under the stated Bid specifications. These alternatives may include related commodities or services that may be available to enhance performance during the period of the Contract. The Quote should describe how any alternative achieves substantially equivalent or better performance to that of the Bid specifications.

EOEA will determine if a proposed alternative method of performance achieves substantially equivalent or better performance. The goal of this Bid is to provide the best value of commodities and/or services to achieve the goals of the procurement.

Evaluation Criteria A. EOEA through its Strategic Sourcing Team (SST) will evaluate responses submitted pursuant to this RFR. The evaluation process will include the assessment of submitted Quotes and the assignment of scores that will be used to rank Bidders and determine which Bidders will proceed to subsequent stages of the evaluation and/or enter into negotiations with the Commonwealth to receive a Contract award.

B. EOEA will select the Quote which demonstrates the best value overall, including proposed alternatives (if any), that will achieve the procurement goals of EOEA. EOEA and a selected Bidder may negotiate a change in any element of contract performance or cost identified in the original RFR or the selected bidder’s response which results in lower costs or a more effective or enhanced value than was presented in the selected bidder’s original response.

C. EOEA, in its sole discretion, will determine which Bidders, if any, will be asked to make oral presentations (see Section 2.5). Oral presentations may be held to allow Bidder to clarify details or provide further information regarding Bidder’s organization or response, but not to change or correct the original responses in any way. Oral presentations shall not be open to the public or to any competitors. EOEA shall schedule the time and location of any oral presentation. Failure of a Bidder to agree to a date and time for an oral presentation may result in rejection of Bidder’s response.

D. After EOEA’s SST completes its evaluation of all Quotes, and, if applicable, oral presentation(s), the SST will recommend to the Secretary of EOEA a Bidder with which to enter into Contract negotiations. The Secretary’s decision shall be based on the SST’s recommendation and on the best interests of the Commonwealth.

E. EOEA, in its sole discretion, may negotiate with some or all bidders prior to executing a Contract. The Contract award shall be contingent upon successful negotiation of contract terms. Should EOEA and any selected bidder fail to reach an agreement on contract terms, EOEA, in its sole discretion, may negotiate with and award a contract to any other Bidder it selects.

F. Non-qualifying proposals may be rejected at any time during the evaluation process if Bidder:

(1) Fails to demonstrate to EOEA’s satisfaction that it meets the RFR requirements;

(2) Has any interest that may, in EOEA’s sole determination, conflict with performance of services for the Commonwealth or is otherwise anti-competitive;

(3) Fails to demonstrate to EOEA’s satisfaction that it and all subcontractors are in sound financial condition;

(4) Fails to make an oral presentation requested by EOEA at a time, place and manner satisfactory to EOEA;

(5) Fails to reach an agreement with EOEA on all contract terms, including but not limited to, reimbursement provisions

G. The successful Bidder will present the best overall value to the Commonwealth and the overall ability of Bidder to meet the needs of EOEA. “Best value” is a balanced combination of the provision of required outcomes, best quality economic value, and timely performance, minimal burden on administrative resources, efficient performance and flexibility for alternative processes.

H. EOEA will evaluate each element of the Bidder’s Quote based on Bidder’s relevant experience and the comprehensiveness, appropriateness, feasibility, clarity, effectiveness and innovation of the response. In addition, EOEA may consider any relevant information about a Bidder that is known to EOEA.

I. The following components will be some of the specific criteria considered by EOEA when evaluating each Quote:

(1) Price (Please note that Bidders must include separate prices for the specifications required in both 3.2 and 3.3);

(2) Supplier Diversity Plan (formerly Affirmative Market Plan) (minimum of 10% weight) Bidders responding to this RFR are required to submit a Supplier Diversity Plan. Requirements for the Supplier Diversity Plan are included in Appendix 2.

(3) Quality of the Proposed Narrative;

(4) Bidder qualifications and experience;

(5) Capacity plan, resources, and infrastructure for this Contract;

(6) Demonstrated ability to accomplish the stated tasks;

(7) References;

(8) Results of the oral presentation and or Site Visit (if any) between the bidder finalists and EOEA;

(9) Employee requirements;

(10) Bidder’s financial conditions; and

(11) Workplace and Violence Prevention and Crisis Response Plan, as mandated by 101 CMR 19.00.

J. Bidder’s price response will be evaluated based on:

(1) Reasonableness of price; and

(2) Competitiveness of price.

How to Submit a Quote All Bidders may begin creating and compiling Quote materials as soon as the Bid with all attachments is in the Sent document status. Bidders are instructed not to submit Quotes before the Bid Amendment Deadline has been reached (see Estimated Procurement Calendar).

Quote Submission Method Online Quote Submission via COMMBUYS is required.

All Bidders must submit Quotes online using tools available only to Sellers registered in COMMBUYS. COMMBUYS provides Seller registration functionality at no charge. To register, go to www.COMMBUYS.com and click on the “Register” link on the front page. All Bidders who are awarded a contract resulting from this Bid, if any, will be required to maintain an active account during the duration of the Contract, by reviewing their registration information regularly and maintaining its accuracy.

COMMBUYS Support Technical assistance is available during the procurement process. Every effort is made to respond to inquiries within one business day.

Website: Go to www.mass.gov/osd/commbuys and select the COMMBUYS Resource Center link offered under Key Resources.

Email: Send inquiries to the COMMBUYS Helpdesk at COMMBUYS@state.ma.us Telephone: Call the COMMBUYS Help Desk at 1-888-MA-STATE (1-888-627-8283). The Help Desk is staffed from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Standard or Daylight time, as applicable, except on federal and state holidays.

Bidders are advised that COMMBUYS will be unavailable during regularly scheduled maintenance hours of which all users will be notified.

Bid Opening Date/Time All Bids must be received by before the specified date, month, year and time displayed as the Bid Opening Date/Time in the Header Information section of the Bid in COMMBUYS. Times are Eastern Standard/Daylight Savings (US), as applicable. All Bidders are advised to allow adequate time for submission by considering potential online submission impediments such as Internet traffic, Internet connection speed, file size, and file volume. Neither OSD or EOEA is responsible for delays encountered by Bidders or their agents, or for a Bidder’s local hardware failures, such as computers or related networks, associated with bid compilation or submission. Bids submitted via COMMBUYS are time stamped by the COMMBUYS system clock which is considered the official time of record.

Quote Contents Bidders must comply with the requirements below.

A. RFR Submission Checklist EOEA seeks to reduce the number of Bidder disqualifications based on incomplete submissions. Therefore, Bidders must complete and submit the RFR Submission Checklist and all documents referenced in the Checklist. The Checklist is found in Attachment 1. (This RFR includes references to attachments titled with letters, A and B, and attachments titled with numerals, 1-16. Attachments titled with a letter (ex. Attachment A) contain information helpful for Bidders to complete their response. Attachments titled with a numeral (ex. Attachment 1) are documents the Bidder must complete and submit as part of their response.)

B. Electronic Signatures Quotes submitted via COMMBUYS must be signed electronically by the Bidder or the Bidder’s Agent by accepting the terms and conditions of the bid on the “Terms & Conditions” tab of the Bid in COMMBUYS. By selecting “Save & Continue” on the “Terms and Conditions” tab after accepting the terms and conditions of the bid, the submitter attests that s/he is an agent of the Bidder with authority to sign on the Bidder’s behalf, and that s/he has read and assented to each document’s terms.

C. Ink Signatures Original ink signatures are required only after contracts have been awarded. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires Contractors to submit original ink-signature versions of the following forms:

1. Standard Contract Form

2. Commonwealth Terms and Conditions

3. Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

4. Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form)

5. Electronic Funds Transfer Sign Up Form

Successful Bidders who agreed to the terms and conditions of these forms electronically via COMMBUYS online Quote submission tool must still submit the above forms with ink signatures within seven (7) calendar days of award notification or their contract may not be executed by the Commonwealth. Bidders who have previous contract(s) with the Commonwealth and have up-to-date, ink-signature versions of the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions and Request for Taxpayer Identification and Verification (Mass. Substitute W9 Form) on file with the Office of the State Comptroller may submit copies of the signed forms. However, a new Standard Contract Form and Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing with original ink signatures must be submitted for each new contract with the Commonwealth.

Limits and Restrictions A. File Naming Conventions Files submitted via COMMBUYS must follow the file naming convention specified below. The Description entered during the file upload process ensures each file is readily identified by Company Name and content. The File Name assigned by the Bidder as stored on their computer or network must be structured such that each file can be processed by the upload tool. The upload tool will reject any file name that includes spaces or symbols, like the brackets [ ] some systems apply when files are downloaded from the Internet.

B. File Size Limits The system will not accept files that approach or exceed 10 MB. If a large file fails to upload, the Bidder must save the contents as multiple files. If a large file fails to upload, bidders must break up the file and append _Part1, _Part2 to the end of the Description and File Name.

C. File Format Restrictions Bidders must submit file formats readable by MS Word 2000 or later, or by Adobe Acrobat Reader or MS Excel. All scanned documents must be in .pdf format, and must be scanned in such a way that they can be read on a computer monitor and printed on 81/2” x 11” paper, unless otherwise specified. Forms provided for the Bidder to complete, with the exception of the forms requiring ink signatures, must be completed and submitted in their original formats, NOT scanned and submitted as PDF or other file types.

D. Documents and items that cannot be submitted electronically Documents and items that cannot be submitted electronically, like confidential business references submitted by the reference, or requests for material samples, respectively, must be submitted to the following address in accordance with all of the Quote submission requirements including Bid Opening Date/Time, Bid Package and Environmental Response Submission Compliance provisions. Such documents should be mailed to